August 01, 2014

Today, I have a fun idea for making these quick and tasty mendiants from the book The Complete Photo Guide to Candy Making. This is kind of a "use up your leftovers" kind of snack that even the littlest foodies can get in on the action.

The Complete Photo Guide to Candy Making is your go-to handbook for all things confectionery. From the author that brought you The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating and The Complete Photo Guide to Cookie Decorating, this book shows you how to make the perfect candies, chocolates, chews, and caramels. For each technique, there is an overview of the tools and materials used and complete instructions with photos. The organization provides easy access to information with step-by-step directions and 650 full-color photos for clear understanding. More than 80 tried-and-true recipes allow the reader to try the techniques in each section. Whether you are looking to make gooey caramel for your pecan patties, or trying to mold the perfect chocolate truffle, author Autumn Carpenter will take you through every type of candy, with an introductory section on the basic tools, ingredients, and methods involved including: Chocolates, Brittles, Fudges, Caramels, Marshmallow, even decorations and candy clay!

Autumn Carpenter is a nationally known confectionary artist, author, and demonstrator. She has published two books with Creative Publishing international: The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating and The Complete Photo Guide to Cookie Decorating. Her third book, Cake, Cupcake, and Cookie Decorating with Kids will be published in November 2013. She demonstrates annually at the I.C.E.S. (International Cake Exploration Societé ) and travels across the United States, sharing the craft of cake decorating and other confectionary arts. Autumn is co-owner of a confectionary supply store, Country Kitchen SweetArt- www.shopcountrykitchen.com. Autumn also has developed a line of cookie and cake decorating tools that are distributed throughout the world. Products developed by Autumn are featured on her website www.autumncarpenter.com.

Have you ever filled in a drawing with Zentangles? I'm kind of thinking that filling in the areas of fabric like this might be kind of interesting?

Panthéon (1791)

In 1744, a gravely ill Louis XV vowed to build a shrine to St. Genevieve should he survive. He recovered, and work began on what would later become known as the Panthéon.

After decades-long delays, marked by Louis’s eventual death, the French Revolution, and several design changes, the final construction was completed in 1791. The building, a close facsimile of the famous Pantheon in Rome, includes classical facets of ancient design, such as Corinthian columns and a Greek cross floorplan. It now serves as the final— secular—resting place for many great men and women of France, including Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Jean Monnet, Pierre and Marie Curie, and Émile Zola.

Complete this sketch of the interior of the Panthéon in Paris. Be sure to embellish it with the grandeur of its decor.

More about the fun Race Point travel sketching journal which is also a fun way to learn about history and art and great city locations that are must-sees!

Part aspirational, part creative, and all doodle, Citysketch Parisis a compilation of creative prompts geared to immerse you in the wonders of magnificent Paris. Finish partially created Parisian landscapes, sketch accessories to accompany a chic French wardrobe, doodle your own uniquely-styled versions of Louvre masterpieces, and loads more. With over 100 prompts, try your hand at sketching landscapes, art, architecture, fashion, people, food, and culture. This is a complete course in Parisian culture for the enamored. Be inspired. Get creative. After all, drawing a little will help you dream big.

Melissa Wood is an illustrator and architectural aficionado. She regularly travels to cities all over America and the world and sketches her way through them. Her clients include Crate & Barrel, Trader Joe’s, Neiman Marcus Direct, Nordstrom’s, Kate’s Paperie, John Grisham, George Lucas, Nikki Hilton, and Oprah Winfrey.

Tangle Stitches for Quilters and Fabric Artists takes the concepts, theory and method of Zentangle and transfer them into quilting patterns and projects. You will learn how to create tangle patterns on paper and then how to create the same patterns in thread, the key difference being that Zentangle patterns on paper are 'one stroke at a time' while quilting patterns are most efficiently achieved in one continuous line. Zentangle-inspired quilting projects include materials, how to mark and prepare fabric, tricks and tools.

Jane has designed quilt patterns for publication in quilting magazines, including a short DVD showcasing the basics of Zentangle and quilting. She has taught numerous classes in Zentangle, quilting, free motion stitching and doll making.In 2010 Jane became a Certified Zentangle Teacher and combines her love of Zentangle and Quilting by bringing these two complimentary mediums together. Zentangle Stitches for Quilters and Fabric Artists is Jane's first book. Web site; www.janemonkstudio.comblog: http://janemonkstudio.blogspot.com/

July 23, 2014

I am so excited about the new book The Drawing Club: Master the Art of Drawing Characters from Lifeby Bob Kato. Bob is the founder of LA's weekly drawing workshop, where artists learn to draw amazing characters using real subjects. For example, this week they are drawing Keith Klanderud as Spartacus. Bob Kato is an active illustrator and instructor in some of the most talented circles. He's the Associate Professor of Foundation Studies and Illustration at The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California where he has taught since 1988. He has also held workshops at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Walt Disney Toons Studios, Walt Disney Online and Universal Studios Creative.

And guess what?! Bob Kato is going to be at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday. If you're going, you'll definitely want to pop by the Walter Foster booth #1320 for his autograph and to check out his new book!

Without further ado, I want to share with you the first inside peek into the soon-to-be-released Quarry book The Drawing Club.

This drawing is by Lizzie Nichols and is done with colored pencil on paper. I love everything about this drawing, from the style to the emotion and choice of brown pencil relating to the Steampunk theme.

Are you a fan of film, comics, video games and animation? Do you love to draw and tell stories? If so, you are like the hundreds of artists who come to expand and broaden their skills at Los Angeles' original character drawing workshop, The Drawing Club. Since 2002, artists from all over the LA region have gathered each Thursday night at a special place where story and character are interpreted from life.

In The Drawing Club, many of these professional working artists and the club's founder, Bob Kato, will teach you how to think differently about drawing characters from life—and, in true Drawing Club spirit, have a good time doing it!

Whether you're a full-time commercial artist, a hobbyist, or you just like to draw, the exercises in The Drawing Club are for you!

- Learn how to translate the world from 3D to 2D.

- Tell a story through your work.

- Gain insights into various materials.

- Examine comic approaches to drawing.

- Discover how to develop your voice as an artist.

- An impressive gallery showcases the fine work and inspiring characters from many of the master artists and animators working today!

Founder and director of The Drawing Club, Bob Kato is an associate professor of Illustration and Entertainment Design at The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he has taught since 1989. He has also run drawing workshops at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Toons Studios, Walt Disney Online, and Universal Studios Creative. As an illustrator he has created illustrations for publications such as National Lampoon and Spy magazine as well as for permanent exhibits in The Smithsonian Institute’s National Zoo and the Florida Aquarium.

And if you like a drawing you have done and want to transfer it onto something else, pop on over to RockPaperInk. There is a tutorial on how to use a blender pen to transfer images from the book Playing With Image Transfers.

July 22, 2014

Today, I have a special treat. Katherine Gleason author of Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurismhas written a guest post for Craftside! It is a fun look into her kitty-filled world and her experience making the sleeve garters tutorial from her book.

Thank you, Katherine for sharing the fun you had making on the sleeve garters and your trips through New York City shops (I miss them!)

Everyone is getting psyched for Comic-Con in San Diego. Unfortunately I won’t be there, but my bookAnatomy of Steampunkwill be. Plus, I’m sending two pairs of handmade sleeve garters, made per the directions in the book, to the convention.

You could win a pair of said sleeve garters. Stop by Walter Foster Publishing (booth #1320), enter the drawing, which will be held Saturday afternoon, and you may walk away with some new arm wear! Check it out, and let me know what you think!

I’ll confess that after all the crafting projects I’ve completed, I still have a little sewing anxiety. I worry that I will botch things up, prick my fingers, and sew my crafty item-in-progress to my skirt. (I have done that before!) Also my thread tends to tangle, which I think is because I bought the really cheap stuff. Sigh.

So, I procrastinated a bit on starting this sleeve-garter project. When I finally got myself out the door in search of supplies, though, I got wicked inspired. I had already scored some black and white checked ribbon at a small shop in my neighborhood, when I set off for Pacific Trimming in New York’s Garment District. There, I bought the requisite brass-toned metal slides. I also spent a bit of time looking at the store’s other offerings. So many different kinds of fastener, buttons, zippers, elastic, mysterious notions, and more! I started getting all kinds of new ideas.

After Pacific Trimming, I visited Daytona Trimmings Company where I found the striped ribbon that I used for one set of garters. (I bought three yards—one yard for my Comic Con garters, one for a set that I made for a steampunk event hosted by the fabulous party mavens Gemini & Scorpio, and I have a yard left over.)

Then, I swung by M & J Trimming and was blown away by the huge selection of ribbon. So many colors, patterns, and materials! I felt happy with the striped ribbon I’d picked up at Daytona, but I couldn’t walk out of M & J empty handed! I bought a yard of French grosgrain in a blue and gray stripe. I may need to make myself another pair of sleeve garters! The pair I made for myself back in the fall are a bright blue, and I’m thinking the blue stripes could be good for a more sober mood.

So, I guess the moral of this part of the story is: if you’re feeling stuck or need inspiration, go look at some materials. They’re sure to get your imagination going again.

Once I was back home, I pretty much followed the directions that Noam Berg, the fabulous steampunk, musician, and man about town, wrote for Anatomy of Steampunk.

The second time I wove the ribbon through the second slide, though, instead of just pulling the ribbon under the top bar of the slide, I passed the ribbon over the top bar, looped the ribbon back, and tucked it through the slide. This way the folded edge of the ribbon comes out inside the garter. While I was working, Luca kitty had to get in on the act.

With a project involving ribbon, of course he did! There’s nothing like a little feline assistance!

From formal outfits to costumes crafted for the stage, from ensembles suited to adventure to casual street styles, steampunk fashion has come to encompass quite a few different looks. But what exactly is steampunk? Originally conceived as a literary genre, the term “steampunk” described stories set in a steam-powered, science fiction-infused, Victorian London. Today steampunk has grown to become an aesthetic that fuels many varied art forms. Steampunk has also widened its cultural scope. Many steampunk practitioners, rather than confining their vision to one European city, imagine steam-driven societies all over the world.

Today the vibrance of steampunk inspires a wide range of individuals, including designers of high fashion, home sewers, crafters, and ordinary folks who just want to have fun. Steampunk fashion is not only entertaining, dynamic, and irreverent; it can also be colorful, sexy, and provocative. Most of all, steampunk fashion is accessible to everyone.

Illustrated throughout with color photographs of the dazzling creations of numerous steampunk fashion designers, Anatomy of Steampunk is an inspirational sourcebook. In addition to presenting the looks and stories of these creative fashion artists, the book also details ten steampunk projects for the reader to try at home. Allow steam to power your imagination!